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The Nevada men’s basketball team has been projected to finish sixth in the Mountain West conference, per the 2020-21 preseason poll announced Wednesday. The poll was voted by the conference’s media members ahead of league’s virtual media day.
The last time Nevada was picked to finish sixth or lower in the preseason poll was in 2014-15, the first season with former head coach Eric Musselman. It was projected to finish fourth or higher in the last five seasons — including three straight first place finishes (2017-19).
San Diego State was picked to win the conference’s regular season title this year, tallying 211 points. They also receiving 14 of the 20 total first place votes. San Diego State is coming off a 30-2 season, including a 17-1 conference record.
Boise State (4) and Utah State (2) also received first place votes.
Nevada garnered 114 total points. It placed behind SDSU (211), Boise State (188), Utah State (177), UNLV (160) and Colorado State (141).
New Mexico was picked to finish seventh with 106 points, Fresno State (93) in eighth, Wyoming (59) in ninth, Air Force (39) in 10th and San Jose State (32) in last.
The 2020-21 college basketball season is set to begin on Nov. 25. Nevada enters the campaign off a 19-12 season — one win shy of its fifth straight 20-win season. The Pack finished 11-7 in conference play.
Nevada loses its top four scorers heading into 2020-21: Jalen Harris (21.7 ppg), Jazz Johnson (15.9 ppg), Lindsey Drew (11.4 ppg) and Nisre Zouzoua (9.8 ppg). The Pack will be led by former Brown transfer Desmond Cambridge Jr., along with Wichita State transfer Grant Sherfield, Oregon State transfer Warren Washington and Zane Meeks.
Here is the full projected standings order:
Mountain West 2020-21 men’s basketball preseason projected standings
| Team | Points | 2019-20 Record | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Points | 2019-20 Record | |
| 1. | San Diego State (14) | 211 | 30-2 (17-1 MWC) |
| 2. | Boise State (4) | 188 | 20-12 (11-7 MWC) |
| 3. | Utah State (2) | 177 | 26-8 (12-6 MWC) |
| 4. | UNLV | 160 | 17-5 (12-6 MWC) |
| 5. | Colorado State | 141 | 20-12 (11-7 MWC) |
| 6. | Nevada | 114 | 19-12 (11-7 MWC) |
| 7. | New Mexico | 106 | 19-14 (7-11 MWC) |
| 8. | Fresno State | 93 | 11-19 (7-11 MWC) |
| 9. | Wyoming | 59 | 9-24 (2-16 MWC) |
| 10. | Air Force | 39 | 12-20 (5-13 MWC) |
| 11. | San Jose State | 32 | 7-24 (3-15 MWC) |
First place votes are in parenthesis.
- @Aztec_MBB is the preseason favorite with @BroncoSportsMBB and @USUBasketball also receiving first place votes!#MWMBB | #AtThePeak pic.twitter.com/5XvhCB1sWk
— Mountain West (@MountainWest) November 11, 2020